In Venere Veritas
by theLOSTpassenger
Summary: Set in an alternate universe, Atlantis must use every resource available to it when someone close to Dr. Beckett is captured. Co-authored with Lucious Von Grey.
1. Chapter 1

Walking down the corridors of the beautiful city that had since become home to the Atlantis expedition, Dr. Carson Beckett was on his way to the city's infirmary where he worked. This day, however, was not his normal Friday, a day where he often worked lengthy hours, often covering part of the shifts of other doctors as they took Atlantis' form of shore leave." Carson was heading to the infirmary to finish typing his medical reports that he had started the night before. Typically, Carson would have another day or so to finish the reports and forward copies to Doctor Elizabeth Weir, but Carson had a special day planned, one that he had been planning for the past few weeks, which was why he had this day and the next two days off.

While walking down the corridor, he had quite the large smile on his friendly Scottish face. His eyes made full contact with passersby as he nodded to each and smiled back when they smiled at him. "Hello, enjoy your day," he would say to many of them in his soft accent. When he heard loud footsteps charging up from behind him, Carson stopped and turned to see that it was his friend Dr. Rodney McKay.

"'Ello, Rodney, how are you doing today? May I help you with somethin'?"

Rodney's voice was frantic, and he spoke quickly, abnormally quicker than usual. It became evident that Rodney had something on his mind as he began to speak and pace around.

"I took the day off," he said. "You always wanted to go fishing, and I have decided that today, we should go fishing. You know, take a jumper, head to the mainland and just spend the day burning under the sun and fishing. Of course, I most likely will get skin cancer from the sun, but that doesn't matter now."

Carson smiled at his friend and shook his head.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, Rodney," he said regretfully, "but I already have plans. I told you last week that I was taking the weekend off to spend a few days with Laura. It is our anniversary."

Carson crossed his arms as he spoke to Rodney. "I'm sorry if you took the day off to go fishing with me," he concluded, "but I'm afraid I have plans that I can't just call off, Rodney."

Rodney tiptoed around the subject. "Laura?" Rodney knew very well who Carson was talking about. The woman practically lived inside his body for a short while. Carson and Lieutenant Laura Cadman began dating shortly after that and were now marking another year together as a couple much to Rodney's displeasure. He respected Cadman and even liked her a little, but he was not very fond of her and Carson as a couple. In some ways, Rodney felt cheated of a friendship with Carson, though he would never admit that.

"Oh, Rodney," Carson said, shaking his head. He began to continue his course back to the infirmary with Rodney in tow and soon with Rodney right beside him trying to match pace.

"You know very well who I am talking about Rodney," he continued. "Lieutenant Cadman and I have been together long enough for you to accept her. Frankly, Rodney, I am not sure why you can't just let her into your life. She has been my girlfriend for quite some time now."

Rodney was almost repulsed with these words. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth, almost citrus-like, which completely soured his mood.

"Carson," he said hesitantly, "please don't say that. Don't call her that. You don't know how long this will last."

Carson just sighed and tried to maintain his calm attitude and tolerance of Rodney. When it came to Dr. Rodney McKay, Carson quickly learned that patience was not only a virtue but a necessity. He looked at Rodney and smiled.

"Rodney," he reasoned, "you have made no attempts to get to know Laura. I just want you to be happy for me. I have found this wonderful lass, and I may be a bit brash to say this, but I believe that I am falling in love with her."

Rodney, who had been carrying a bottle of water as he walked and talked with Carson, had just taken a sip of water when Carson mentioned the word "love," causing him to gag and nearly choke on the water as it slid down his throat. Rodney stumbled forward as he spat the water out in a misty cloud of Hydrogen oxide.

"Oh, no, no, no, Carson," Rodney argued, "it hasn't been nearly long enough to say that."

Rodney then considered Carson's statement that he should get to know Cadman.

"I had that woman's consciousness inside me," he continued. "She hijacked my body, Carson. I don't need to get to know her any better than that."

Carson was almost to the infirmary. There was just a long stretch of corridor to go. At that point, he could shed himself of Rodney and escape into the business of finalizing his reports before sending copies to Elizabeth.

"Rodney," he said, groaning, "it has been a few years already. I think that a year alone constitutes enough to say that I love her."

Carson corrected himself dropping the formality. "Laura." He then began to walk ahead.

"Sorry, Rodney, but I have a few reports to finish before I leave. We can talk when I get back. Perhaps you will join Laura and I for dinner Tuesday evening?"

"I don't know," Rodney replied, shaking his head. "I will have to get back to you on that. You know how it is here. I just can't have any time to relax, always on my feet fixing Zelenka's problems. You never know when I won't be needed."

Rodney began to step backwards to break off the conversation, but before he left, he looked at Carson.

"What if I get sick while you are away?" he tried desperately. "What if my life needs saving? What if I accidentally eat a lemon, or some idiot uses citrus cleaning supplies in my lab?"

Carson almost laughed at Rodney's ridiculous behavior, but he simply scuffed and sighed.

"I am leaving Dr. Keller in charge while I am gone. She is quite the promising doctor and a fine young woman if I may say so myself. I won't leave without informing her to expect you, Rodney, I promise."

Dr. Carson Beckett watched as his friend walked away. Finally, he had gotten rid of Rodney McKay. Their friendship was an interesting one. Despite Rodney not caring much for Carson dating Laura, the two remained quite close, but like everyone else on Atlantis, Carson could grow tired of Rodney's annoying and arrogant self-boasting nature.

Carson was about to enter the infirmary when he saw Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, who had undoubtedly caught tidbits of the conversation with Rodney. Carson smiled and nodded at John, and John did the same.

"Good morning, Doc," he said in a friendly manner. "I take it McKay is up to his usual?"

"Aye, Colonel," he said, sighing. "He refuses to acknowledge Lieutenant Cadman and I as a couple. Quite frankly, Colonel, I am beginning to think that there is no chance of the two of them getting along."

Carson appreciated the support Sheppard was giving him when he reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

"Lord bless my mother, but sometimes Rodney reminds me of her," Carson continued. "Love her to death, but she can be quite overbearing at times, and Rodney is working on becoming exactly like her when it comes to my relationships."

Carson then had a short flash memory of the time Cadman had been in control of Rodney's body and had kissed him.

"Sometimes, it makes you wonder if it was Rodney that kissed me and not Laura," Carson said, chuckling.

He then let out a small moan. "I forgot that I have to ask Rodney something," he said. "I will have to see him again before I leave. Hopefully, he won't try to delay me any further."

John let out a small laugh in response to Carson's joke. "Maybe it _was_ McKay that kissed you and not Lieutenant Cadman."

Carson gave Sheppard a confused look but then realized that he was joking about Rodney actually kissing him instead of Laura. Carson's body posture became relaxed again

"Oh, bloody hell, Colonel," he said. "Let's hope not or else I have been with the wrong person."

John then let Carson in on a little secret as he unzipped a pocket on the side of his vest and pulled out a lemon.

"Whenever I go on a mission with him," he said mischievously, "I bring one of these. You know, just in case he gets on my nerves more than usual."

Carson grinned. John put the lemon away and was about to let Carson be when he remembered he was carrying something in his pants pocket. John was always a bit of a joker, and before departing, he reached into the pocket of his pants and tossed a small tube to Carson, who caught it.

"Just in case he tries to make a move on you, Doc," John said jokingly.

Carson fumbled around with the tube in his hands, turning it to read the label. As he studied the small tube, Carson saw that what was in his hand was chapstick. Even more specifically, it was lemon-flavored chapstick.

"Very funny, Colonel," Carson said, chuckling and then sighing, "but let's hope I don't have to use this."

Carson then approached the doors to the infirmary and punched the control panel lightly, and the doors slid open with the familiar sound. He walked through the infirmary and headed to the small room within the infirmary that served as his office. As he headed towards his office, Dr. Keller smiled as he approached. She was examining a cut on a patient's head. Carson caught a quick glimpse of the cut, which was more like a gash than a cut, and he had seen similar gashes before. The young male patient was a marine, and Carson simply smiled back at Keller as he grew closer. He did briefly make a comment.

"I see Ronon has been keeping us busy down here," he said. "Someone needs to tell that boy to stop roughing up the marines."

He let out a small chuckle to his joke as did Dr. Keller. Dr. Jennifer Keller was just finishing up stitching up the gash on the man's face when Carson began to stir in his office after being in there for a few minutes. She knew that Carson had been on Atlantis since the Atlantis expedition had arrived on the city. However, she herself was rather new to the city, having only arrived a few months ago and often worked the late-shift before Carson recommended her for a day-shift, allowing her to work alongside him. Unintentional or not, Jennifer felt as if Carson had taken her under his wing, and she looked up to him as a mentor and respected him greatly as a fellow medical doctor. She often found herself cracking a smile or a laugh when he was on duty in the infirmary. The man just glowed of radiant charm and humor which was one reason Jennifer admired him so much. She had only met Laura Cadman a few times, but from what she could tell, the two made a great couple.

"Doctor," Jennifer asked Carson as he was heading back from his office with papers in hand, "are those the medical reports that Dr. Weir is expecting? Couldn't you have just sent them to her, or are the computers down?"

Carson smiled at the younger doctor and briefly acknowledged her questioning.

"Aye," he responded. "Oh, those bloody machines are working fine, love, but I care to see these get to Doctor Weir personally. I want to thank her for granting the leave of absence Laura and I requested together."

Carson then fixed the papers in his hand and made sure they were all together in proper order before heading off. "Excuse me, Jennifer, but I would rather not be running any later than I already am. Please make sure you get something to eat, love. You are looking a wee bit pale."

With that, Carson exited the infirmary and headed towards the nearest transporter so that he could see Elizabeth.

Dr. Elizabeth Weir sat in her chair behind her desk wearing her Atlantis uniform with its soft red accents, her earpiece in her ear and a mic protruding around ending near her mouth. She had her head down and wasn't paying attention to anything besides her work, which presently was reading over Colonel Sheppard's latest mission report. She heard a light knocking at her doorway, and she gazed up to see Dr. Beckett's warm smile. She politely folded her laptop closed and gave him her full attention as well as a warm and inviting smile in response to his glow.

"Carson," she greeted him, "please come in. I was just reading over a mission report. Is there something that I can help you with?"

Carson extended his arm and handed Weir the small stack of papers.

"I just wanted to make sure you got these before Laura and I left," he said to her, making eye contact and smiling further. "Everything should be in order, Elizabeth. I wanted to personally thank you for allowing Lieutenant Cadman and I both to have time off together."

Dr. Weir let her smile expand, and she accepted the stack of papers.

"Carson," she told him, "you didn't need to have these in until you got back, and I would have extended the deadline if you needed me to. You both are quite welcome, Carson. I hear that Celestia is charming this time of year. If I remember correctly, it is during their autumn season which is also time for harvesting some of their goods, so I may send Teyla and Ronon along to trade with the Celestians."

It wasn't that Elizabeth was trying to be sly by any means, but she wanted to ensure Carson and Lieutenant Cadman's safety, though she wasn't wrong by any means that it was a good idea to send Teyla and Ronon to trade, as Atlantis was running low on fresh crops, and the crops on the mainland were not faring so well due to the excessive amounts of rain as of late.

Carson somewhat suspected Dr. Weir had alternative motives for sending Ronon and Teyla along aside from trading during the planet's prime harvesting season, but it wasn't something that Carson let bother him. He knew that Weir would respect his and Cadman's privacy, as Ronon and Teyla's presence on the planet would be enough to put her at ease. Carson did not expect to see the two of them shadowing over him, as that wouldn't have been Elizabeth's way.

"Aye, Elizabeth," he said, smiling at Elizabeth, "Celestia is a beautiful planet any season, but at this time of year, with the leaves on the tree turning colors and the clear starry nights under the four moons, it is going to be something special."

Weir returned her eyes to her laptop as Carson prepared to leave her office. She smiled and let out a small, delightful yet muffled chuckle as she bid Carson a happy vacation.

"Carson, have a lovely time with Lieutenant Cadman. I will see you when you both get back." Carson then left her office, and Weir returned to reading John's latest mission report.


	2. Chapter 2

Celestia was like nothing any of them had ever seen. The vast area that surrounded the stargate was like a dream, a forest of fire-like colors, blood-red, pumpkin-orange, and banana-yellow, that served as a rotary to a large, glassy pond.

"Weir certainly wasn't lying about its beauty," Carson said in awe.

""That she was not," Teyla agreed, smiling.

Ronon, as was typical of him, remained stone-faced as he did nothing more than scan his surroundings, scouting out something to shoot.

"Afraid the Bogeyman is going to come out and get you?" Cadman teased him.

Ronon glared at her darkly, and Cadman just grinned.

"As much as I appreciate your coming with us," Carson said to Teyla and Ronon, "this is meant to be a date, so we would really appreciate it if-"

"We will not be remaining at your side," Teyla said with a nod, interrupting him. "Ronon and I plan to explore and hopefully locate some Celestians."

"Thank you, love," Carson said, smiling brightly. "That's appreciated. Cadman and I won't be too far from the gate, and we will have our radios."

"Understood," Teyla said. "Do you require help setting up your camp?"

"No," Carson replied instantly, "we have it. Thank you, love."

They parted ways, Carson with Cadman and Teyla with Ronon, and Cadman smiled.

"She's kind of nice," Cadman said in regards to Teyla.

"Oh, Teyla?" Carson agreed. "Yes, she is a doll, isn't she?"

It was then that Carson noticed that Cadman was carrying quite an armful of supplies, a blanket, a picnic basket, and an extra jacket, while he merely carried their tent and a picnic basket.

"Oh, love," Carson said, alarmed, "don't be carrying all that by yourself. Allow me to take some of that, won't you?"

"Does it look like I'm struggling?" Cadman challenged him, grinning. "I'm a big girl. I have it."

It wasn't a long walk, anyway, because it was a small patch in between two trees to the north of the pond that they had chosen as their camping site. Within a half-hour, they had their site set up, the tent, a blanket, and the picnic baskets set gently on the blankets. They sat down on one one of the blankets and each opened a fresh iced tea from a basket.

"Hopefully, Celestia doesn't have ant problems," Carson joked between gulps.

Cadman smiled. "Yeah, let's hope."

There was a somewhat awkward pause that lasted for about ten seconds until Cadman broke it.

"It's not that I don't appreciate this," she said, an awkward smile spread across her face. "You know I do. This is beautiful, but we have been seeing each other for exactly one year now, and in all that time, we've never done anything like this."

"I know," Carson said apologetically as Cadman unwrapped a small package from the picnic basket and took a small bite out of a cheddar and provolone sandwich, "and I'm truly sorry about that, Laura. I've always wanted to do something like this with you, and this planet is truly a dream come true. You're correct, though, Laura. I did ask you here, alone, to talk to you about something in particular."

Cadman set her sandwich down on the plastic wrapping in which it had been wrapped and swallowed.

"What would that be, Carson?" There was a tad bit of fear in her voice, clueless as to what Carson was going to say to her.

"Well," Carson said slowly, fearful himself, "like you said, we have been together for a year, and I'd like to know how you feel about the two of us. Where do you see, well, us going from here?"

Cadman nodded, relieved. "I really like you, Carson," she replied swiftly. "You're sweet, you're funny, you're smart, and you're always putting other people before yourself. I love that about you."

"But?" Carson said, trying to brace himself.

"But nothing," Cadman said, much to Carson's surprise. "This is great. I've never been in a relationship this long, and _believe me_, none of the guys that I've ever dated were as great as you."

Carson blushed, and he couldn't stop a tear from running down his face. He was drowned with an increasingly overwhelming sense of happiness.

"So," Cadman said, leaning in to kiss him, "to answer your question, I see us going where ever life takes us. I'm not going anywhere. Are you?"

They kissed, and in between breaths, Carson said, "No, love."

After a few seconds, Carson felt incredibly euphoric, but at the same time, he was even more scared. What if what he was about to do ruined the beautiful moment that they had just shared together, ruined the beautiful night that they were surely about to have?

The sky was beginning to darken, and two of Celestia's four moons were clearly visible from where the two of them were sitting. Carson decided that it was now or never, that he had to make this move while he had the opportunity. As Cadman began to drink more from her iced tea bottle, Carson reached inside the right breast pocket of his blue jacket and removed a very small black case. He shifted to a kneeling position and smiled.

"I sure am glad to hear that, Laura," he said, holding back tears of both happiness and apprehension, "because I have been wanting to do this for a long time. You make me so happy, Laura. You're the smartest, most beautiful woman I know, and I am in love with you. Laura Cadman, will you marry me?"

Cadman almost choked on her iced tea.


	3. Chapter 3

Teyla and Ronon had walked about a quarter-mile away from the stargate when they came across a small cave.

"This looks like a good place to settle for the night," Teyla said, smiling.

Ronon shrugged indecisively.

The two of them removed supplies from the bags that they had been carrying, including pillows, blankets, and food. They set up comfortable places to lie down and fall asleep when night would fall, which it would very soon. Teyla sat down on her blanket, and Ronon hesitantly did the same.

"I'm no good at sitting around," Ronon said.

"You do not have to," Teyla replied with a bit of a laugh. "I am simply resting, but I would very much like to walk around the area and enjoy the scenery. Celestia _is_ very beautiful."

Ronon, at once, stood up and headed for the exit of the cave, carrying his particle magnum with him. Teyla sighed and did the same.

They left the cave and, with the light of the sky already beginning to fade, began to traverse the forests of Celestia

"So," Teyla said, attempting to spark a conversation, "how are you and Dr. Keller?"

"Not good," Ronon replied.

Teyla suppressed a laugh. Ronon was never one of many words.

"And why is that?" she pushed.

"Ask _her_."

Teyla immediately grasped Ronon's hint. Dr. Keller had obviously expressed a lack of interest in Ronon, and he didn't want to talk about it.

"Matters with Torren have, likewise, not been perfect," she admitted, hoping to help him feel more comfortable with the conversation. "They have been complicated."

"Yeah?" Ronon said, his eyes set dead ahead of him. "How so?"

"He speaks frequently of having children," she continued, "but I do not believe that I am ready for children."

"Why not?"

"I could never promise a child that I would be home for it at night," she said as if she were reading from a book. "My job, _our_ job, is so dangerous, and I would not want a child to grow up without a mother."

Ronon nodded. Teyla didn't take this personally, for she knew that he simply didn't know what to say.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a child?" Teyla questioned him.

He turned to look at her. He hesitated, then said, "No."

"Why not?" Teyla asked, wondering if he felt the same as she did.

"I would never consider bringing something into this world at the mercy of the Wraith," he said, a bit angrily. "I will kill every last one before I even consider that."

She nodded and frowned in agreement.

"For the record, though," Ronon added, "you would be a great mother."

Teyla, surprised, smiled. "Thank you."

"Carson," Cadman said weakly, "I really don't know what to say."

"Say yes, love," he said eagerly.

"But this is so sudden," she argued. "I wasn't expecting this."

Carson scowled. "I'm really sorry, Laura," he said, sitting down, his head sinking. "You're right. I really shouldn't have done this. This was a very bad idea."

He proceeded to put the ring back in his pocket.

"No, Carson, no," she said, her hands waving excitedly in front of her. "Don't put it away. I'm not trying to say no. I'm just really surprised."

"Well," Carson said a bit merrily, "that was supposed to be the point, love."

The two of them looked at each other awkwardly, and Carson was filled with apprehension. He didn't know what else to say.

Cadman began to say something but was interrupted by a loud whooshing sound.

"Oh, dear God in heaven," Carson said as the two of them stood up from the blankets. "How did the Wraith find us here?"

"Carson," she urged, "we need to stay calm. Remember, the Wraith can make you see things, so try not to panic."

"It's a little late for that, love," he cried. "We need to find Teyla and Ronon."

Cadman began to respond, but just as she did, a Wraith Dart became visible above the treeline, and with absolutely no warning, swept her up in a culling beam.

Carson turned to stone.


	4. Chapter 4

As quickly as the paradise of Celestia had presented itself to Laura Cadman and Doctor Carson Beckett, paradise was lost with the crackling sound of Wraith Darts, and Carson remained in a state of pure shock as his beloved Laura had been whisked away in a transporter beam.

"Oh, dear lord, Laura," he muttered as he watched the Dart dash away overhead, but then, the Wraith Dart had quickly swooped around, heading back for him. Carson ran for the treeline hoping to make it into the thick forest. He ran as fast as he could, which reminded him of his days as a young man charging down the hills near the Becket family home, racing with his friends. Carson rarely won those races back then, but now, he had fear pulsating his adrenal system into full throttle, and he made it into the forest, but the Dart was closing in on him. The beam from the Dart was thrashing the leaves about like a force of wind. Even in the thick wooded forest, Carson was far from safe. The Dart had a lock on him, and the beam was about to reach for him. Making a last ditched attempt to escape the beam, Carson launched himself in a sideways charge of a jump. It was exactly the sort of thing he had learned over the years from Sheppard, and it was what kept Carson on Celestia as the the beam swooped by, missing him, soaring off in its missed attempt to capture him.

Teyla and Ronon had still been sightseeing when a familiar sound pierced the sky. It sparked reaction from both Ronon and Teyla; although their responses were different, they had similarities. Ronon's nature of being a Runner kicked in and he quickly drew his weapon and searched his surroundings for a target. He shot a deathly scowl at Teyla, his teeth showing in anger.

"Wraith Darts," he growled in a beastly manner.

Teyla's reaction, however, was to quickly contact Dr. Beckett and Lieutenant Cadman. She quickly radioed to the two.

"Doctor Beckett, Lieutenant Cadman," she said excitedly, "this is Teyla. There are Wraith Darts above; please, report."

Teyla looked at Ronon who appeared as if he were about to run off in his own personally justified vengeance. She glared at him.

"Ronon," she reasoned, "we have to stay together. We must report back to Atlantis and evacuate the Celestians."

A radio response came through from Carson, but it was static. Teyla attempted once more.

"Doctor Beckett, is that you? I can hardly hear you."

Carson had heard Teyla's voice calling for him. His first attempt to respond did not go as planned; there was a persistent static that was causing communications to be nearly impossible. He moved out into the open and tried again.

"Aye, lass, it is," he replied. "I'm afraid your warning is too late, Teyla; they have Lieutenant Cadman."

Carson felt as if his heart had sunk into the depths of his body reporting Laura's abduction. He took a brief moment to clear his head, to push the thoughts of Lieutenant Cadman aside and focus on his duties as a member of the Atlantis Expedition.

"We need to contact Atlantis," he asserted, "and we need to get these people to safety immediately. I'll meet you two at the gate."

After hearing what Carson had reported, Teyla felt a sensation come over her. She hadn't known Lieutenant Cadman all that well, but a member of the Atlantis Expedition had been taken, and it was under Teyla's watch. She and Ronon were sent to watch over Cadman and Beckett, and now, Lieutenant Cadman had been taken by the Wraith. She shot a look at Ronon.

"Come," she said sternly but with a tenderness serving as an undertone. "They have Cadman, but we need to get to the gate. Dr. Beckett is already on his way."

Teyla armed herself with a P-90 as Ronon moved closer to her. It was a mutual agreement to move out. Teyla gave a nod, and Ronon grunted.

They headed to the gate to contact Atlantis and meet up with Dr. Beckett. Teyla slowed in her tracks causing Ronon to slow himself down before he ran into his comrade and friend.

"What?" he asked, as she looked around. He, too, sensed someone near. The two remained quiet, waiting and watching. Suddenly a small group of Celestians ran into view, a woman with two children. They were being chased by a Wraith who shot at the woman, the mother of the children. She fell to the ground in pain, and both Teyla and Ronon could see the terror on the woman's face as she urged her children to continue running for their lives. The Wraith took his victim and began to feed. The small children ran to Teyla and sought sanctuary wrapped around her thighs. The children were about to turn their heads and look at their mother who was being fed upon, and Teyla applied pressure to their heads, compassionately preventing them from witnessing their mother's final moments.

The Wraith let go of his victim, and Ronon took the shot, killing the Wraith. He ran toward the woman, or what was left of her. She was still breathing, nearing death. The Wraith had nearly taken everything from her but wasn't generous enough to end her pain by feeding from her fully. The woman's chilling eyes were looking into his own, and pain and sadness were frozen in them. Her face showed signs of terror. She gasped, trying to say something to Ronon, but she hadn't the strength to say it loud enough for him to hear it. He approached her closer, crouching to his knees, and heard her last words. He groaned in agony as he realized that this woman was a warrior like him. She was to die saving her kids, the same way Ronon felt that he should have. With her words spoken, Ronon placed his hand around her neck, and with a forceful clenching, a powerful grip, he crushed her trachea, granting her final words for him to end her suffering and to ensure her children survive. Ronon then squeezed the woman's hand.

"They will be safe," he promised her, and she faded away as a strong woman. Ronon would do everything he could, dying if he had to in order to keep his promise to the woman. He got back to his feet and looked at Teyla, shaking his head. Teyla kept the small girl close to her as they continued to the gate. Ronon, on the other hand, carried the boy over his shoulder.

As the two of them arrived at the stargate, Carson was just arriving himself, coming out from the forest east of the stargate. Ronon sat the boy near the DHD, and the small girl departed from Teyla's side and sought the comfort of her brother's embrace. The two small children embraced in a sibling bounding while Beckett began to dial Atlantis. He shot a glance back at Teyla and Ronon who were both on watch for Wraith, covering Carson's back.

"Their parents?" he asked solemnly.

Teyla shot a glance over her shoulder. "We don't know about the father," she said quickly, returning her gaze the the treeline, expecting Wraith to surface.

"The mother died saving the children," Ronon followed up, grunting. "She was too far gone, fed upon."

He then spotted Wraith surfacing from the forest.

"Doctor!" he shouted to Carson, demanding that the man move faster.

Carson gulped and began to do so.

"Aye," he replied, "I'm working on it, Ronon, but I can't move any bloody faster."

Carson dialed the last chevron, and the stargate activated, establishing a wormhole.

"Sending our IDC," he confirmed.

It was then that he heard a feminine groan as Teyla fell to the ground after being stunned. Ronon fired back, and Carson lifted Teyla up and headed through the stargate with the children and Ronon in tow.


	5. Chapter 5

Cadman had always tried to be a strong person, as it wasn't always easy being a woman in the line of work that she was in, so she had always tried to be "one of the guys," but she knew that she was human, and humans got scared, and she was terrified. Boy, was she terrified. She knew exactly what would happen to her, as she was forcefully being dragged from the Dart, brought on board the Hive. She thought about how the Wraith would torture her with time, keeping her nested for hours, possibly even days, before finally feeding on her.

She was scared to death, but she wouldn't show them her fear. She wouldn't give them that satisfaction.

"Let go of me," she snarled at the muscular Wraith guards dragging her. "Let go of me now."

They ignored her.

She continued to struggle until they finally walked through an entrance onto a hallway of the dark, eerie Hive. Just as she was about to spit on a Wraith guard, a male Wraith approached her. He snarled hungrily, grinned maliciously.

"I'm _not_ going to make this easy for you," Laura said angrily.

"Laura Cadman," the Wraith said to her in a deep growl, "I would imagine that your assumptions regarding our intentions are incorrect."

"Don't try to play me," she replied. "I know damn well what you, you monsters do to people. You feed on them, causing them to age rapidly until they die, a very painful process from what I've heard."

"Which is not what we plan to do to you," the Wraith clarified, "so as I said, you do not know what you think you do."

"Well," Cadman continued, "no matter what you do to me, even if you kill me, my people will find you, and they will destroy you. You're making a serious mistake."

The Wraith simply chuckled and motioned for the guards to escort her to an alternate location. They dragged her further down the hallway for what felt like an hour to Cadman but was, in reality, about five minutes, and threw her into a cell, activating a gate to detain her. She screamed in anger at them.

"You're making a serious mistake," she repeated. "I have people that care about me, that love me, in fact, and they, _he_, will stop at nothing to exact revenge if something happens to me. You don't want to do this."

The burly guards ignored her, however, and left her alone, and right now, that was exactly how Cadman felt – alone. She knew that no one was going to find her before they carried out whatever horrible plan that they had in store for her, and she was terrified. Either sure that no one was watching her or not caring anymore, she began to sob uncontrollably.

She wasn't sure which.

All she could do was sob, wishing that she were back on Celestia with Carson so that she could answer him. Now, he would probably never know the truth.


	6. Chapter 6

The city of Atlantis was abruptly awoken form its slumber, as were many of the personnel, when alarms started to blare loudly and an an unscheduled activation was taking place. Someone had activated the gate and was dialing Atlantis. The city had been at rest, but that would soon no longer be the case. Dr. Radek Zelenka had been struggling to stay awake at his post behind the control console. Zelenka, normally a professional man albeit with a somewhat scruffy appearance and lack luster work drive compared to Rodney had been abnormally tired due to having just listened to an hour and a half long lecture by McKay only a few hours ago. Radek had a severe headache and was tired as a result. However, when the console before him lit up with signs of an incoming wormhole, Dr. Zelenka was quickly leaning forward, inclined rather than reclined. He shot to attention so swiftly that his communication headset nearly whipped off his head.

Radek signaled for security forces to close in on the gate, sending a few men and women armed for combat with weapons drawn, heading down the steps and enclosing in upon the stargate. The security forces acted in unison, splitting off into three groups, a group on each side of the gate and another group front and center. Dr. Zelenka raised the Atlantis gate's shield almost immediately. He was awaiting an IDC to be sent before he would lower the shield. A few moments passed, and there was no IDC. Radek was on edge and was relieved as he turned his head to see two figures heading his way, both of them familiar.

"What do you have for us, Radek?" came the somewhat soft feminine voice of Weir. She was accompanied by Sheppard who instantly departed from her side and descended the steps with his firearm drawn. Weir was a confident and efficient leader albeit not one well-liked by the International Oversight Advisory. The IOA had been a pain in her side ever since she had lead the Atlantis expedition alongside the late Colonel Sumner who previously held Sheppard's position. There was something more to Elizabeth than being a strong leader, great diplomat, and independent woman; Elizabeth Weir cared about each and every member of the expedition, even those that she didn't particularly agree with such as Dr. Kavanagh.

Finally, an IDC had cleared, and Zelenka was quick to answer Dr. Weir.

"It's Sheppard's team, but they aren't scheduled to check in or return yet."

Elizabeth already knew this; there had been no reason for Zelenka to mention the additional information other than being his usual, overly orthodox self. With that said, Weir gave him a simple nod of her head to which Zelenka responded quickly by deactivating the stargate's shield.

The security forces stood by, awaiting the arrival of what should have been Lieutenant Cadman and members of Sheppard's team. Weir joined Sheppard, but John extended his arm in order to keep her back at a safer distance in case something or someone hostile was coming through. When Carson emerged from the stargate with a motionless Teyla in his arms, Colonel Sheppard lowered and holstered his weapon and headed to intercept. Weir held a hand to her mouth in momentary shock before she, too, headed to intercept tailing Sheppard.

"Teyla," Weir said with a small gasp, "what happened?"

"She was hit by a Wraith stunner," Carson said swiftly, clearly emotional but shifting into professionalism by raising the barrier to that of an experienced medical doctor with his patient in mind. "She's unconscious but she's alive. Ronon was right behind us; he has two Celestian children with him. They lost their mother to a Wraith, Elizabeth. We had no choice but to bring them."

Carson looked around and saw security forces but no medical personnel. "Where's the bloody medics?"

Weir turned her head and looked at Zelenka, signaling him to call for medical personnel to hurry up. Teyla wasn't in immediate danger, but Carson was highly protective of all his patients. Ronon soon emerged with two children, the brother and sister of the Celstian woman that was fed upon by the Wraith. The wormhole disengaged and the medical team arrived, their boots stammering down the steps as they carried a stretcher.

"Where's Cadman?" Sheppard was about to ask, but it was Weir who asked first.

Carson took a deep and somewhat painful breath and exhaled roughly. His voice was stern but trembling slightly, and his demeanor changed. His face said it all; something horrible had happened, and now was the time to give the news that he didn't want to face himself.

"She's been taken by the Wraith, Elizabeth. A dart came through, and she was swept up in a beam."

Carson looked directly at Sheppard and spoke with concern and determination. "We have to get her back, Colonel. We have to go after them."

Sheppard looked at Weir. He was ready to arm up and take some men and women through the gate even if it was a futile rescue operation. His eagerness was met with a shaking of her head.

"Sorry, John," she said with a passiveness to her voice but leadership in her tone of voice, "we just can't go rushing to Celstia, not without more information. That dart will be heading back to a Hive ship if it hasn't already."

Weir could see the look on Carson's face. He was disappointed but understanding, and Weir herself was sympathetic.

"I'm sorry, Carson," she said softly. "We won't give up on finding her, but we do need to assess the situation before we act." Carson didn't respond directly, he simply followed the medics carrying Teyla away. Ronon assisted by taking the two children to the infirmary as well.

An hour had passed since the unexpected return of the Atlantis expedition members with additional children. Weir had called for a meeting in the main conference room in order to be properly debriefed on what had happened and to confer with Sheppard and others as to how to react to the abduction of one of their own. Elizabeth sat at the head of the table as was habitual of a leader to do. John, Carson, and Ronon were all present. Teyla was still recovering in the infirmary.

"I informed Rodney of the situation," Weir explained. "However, he went with Major Lorne's team to assist the inhabitants on M7G-677. Their EF generator was damaged from an electrical storm, and he insisted that Lorne and his team weren't capable of doing the job without him."

What Elizabeth had left out was that McKay also stated that if he had repaired it last time instead of Zelenka, it wouldn't need to be fixed again, but she didn't feel it necessary to say such.

"Unfortunately," she continued, "another electrical storm is rolling in, and Lorne and his team will not be able to use the DHD until the storm passes."

Sheppard shook his head in disbelief.

"So, we are down two?" Sheppard caught Weir's inquisitive look. "Doc here," he said while he started glancing over at Carson, "says that Teyla was hit by some sort of new stun weapon."

Carson took that as his cue to speak and did so punctually.

"Aye, the Colonel's right," he said, sighing. "I'm afraid that we are dealing with something a wee bit different than we are used to with the Wraith stunners. Teyla's awake and alert, but I'm afraid the poor lass can't move. I suspect that her paralysis is only temporary, but until Dr. Keller and I can better understand what we are dealing with here, I'm sorry, but we are gonna have to wait it out."

Sheppard chimed back in, giving his full eye contact to Weir whom he knew was about to shut him down, but he wasn't willing to be silent.

"Ronon and I can do this, Elizabeth. Just clear us for Celestia, give us a jumper, and we will find Lieutenant Cadman."

Weir was silent for a few seconds before she took a quick breath and did as he had expected.

"John, I can't send you and Ronon to Celestia alone. We have no idea what to expect on the other side of that gate."

Sheppard interjected immediately.

"Then we'll send a damn UAV first, but I'm going through that gate no matter what the situation is on the other side. We don't leave our people behind."

He was adamant and stern. He didn't want to step on Weir's toes or push her too hard, but he wasn't about to accept no as an answer.

"The hell you are, Colonel," she said briskly, she did not mince her response. "I am leader of this expedition, and you are not about to go on a suicide mission. You and Ronon will not be going anywhere without my approval."

She paused and looked at John and Ronon.

"I'll permit you to go John, but I am not sending you through alone," she said, running her fingers through her hair and thinking for a moment before continuing. "Major Teldy and her team are off world but are scheduled to return within the hour. I'll send Ronon and you with her team as your back up. Don't make me regret this."

Sheppard smiled or smirked; whichever it was, it showed that he was pleased. "I appreciate the compromising, Elizabeth, but without McKay..." He paused for a few seconds; he didn't really want to acknowledge his need for McKay even if Rodney wasn't around to hear it. "Let's just say there is technological expertise that he has that are essential to the majority of my missions. I don't believe that Dr. Porter, Captain Vega, or Sergeant Mehra can fulfill McKay's void."

Weir listened to Sheppard as he voiced his concerns.

"I agree," she said with another nod of her head. "Be ready to disembark as soon as Major Teldy's AR team arrives. I'll assign you someone to take McKay's position for this one, John."

Sheppard huffed and sighed. He didn't want to say it, but he had to.

"Elizabeth, nobody here is as good as he is. Don't even think about telling him I said that."

Weir smiled slightly. It was the first time for a while since she smiled under such conditions. She looked at Sheppard and nodded.

"Believe me, I wouldn't dare tell him. If I did, nobody around here would hear the end of it."

As Sheppard and Ronon were about to leave the room, Weir added, "I know that he's the best we have here."

Sheppard and Ronon left the conference room, leaving Weir and Carson alone. Elizabeth turned to comfort Carson as a friend.

"Carson," she said softly, "I just wanted to - "

Carson spoke up, interrupting her. "I need to go along with Sheppard and Ronon."

Weir shook her head. "Absolutely not, Carson. We need you here. The mission is far too dangerous to send you. You could get hurt."

He remained seated and remained loyal to his previous statement.

"Aye, Elizabeth," he began, "that is exactly why I need to go. If anyone gets injured while on this mission, that could hinder the operation. Some of them are trained as field medics, but there isn't anyone that has my experience. Elizabeth, please."

Weir wasn't the least bit pleased, but she knew that Carson wasn't about to relent. She also knew that he had a point.

"Carson, we have sick and injured here, and I – _we_ - need our chief surgeon _here_," she tried to reason.

Carson shook his head. "Nobody is in serious condition, Elizabeth, and Teyla is stable. Dr. Keller can handle things while I am away."

Seeing no way to defer him any further, she reluctantly agreed. "Approved. Carson, stay safe, and bring her back home. Do not make me regret this."

"Aye," he said while smiling and standing up, "I will. Thank you, Elizabeth."

He exited the conference room, and Weir was alone in the room for a few minutes until someone entered the room. She, as was always the case both day and night, was needed. She looked at the entranceway and saw the technician, whom she was about to call, anyway.

"Chuck," she said calling him by name, "would you please dial earth? I need to talk with Stargate Command immediately."


	7. Chapter 7

The stargate activated, and Weir immediately came running down to the Central Control, urging Sheppard and his team, which consisted of Ronon, McKay, Carson, Porter, Vega, and Mehra, not to fret. Major Teldy was staying behind to coordinate with Weir. The team had been ready to leave Atlantis and go to Celestia so that they could look for clues to retrieve Cadman, and this had surprised all of them.

"Stargate Command felt it prudent to have someone of their selection involved in this," Weir informed. "That's whoever it is now."

"Who is it?" Sheppard demanded.

"I don't know, John," Weir replied curtly. "As I said, that's whoever it is."

This was soon apparent to all of them, though, as a beautiful woman with long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail stepped through, uniform, gear, and all.

Rodney cleared his throat.

"McKay," she said to him, nodding.

The stargate closed, and she approached Weir, extending her hand.

"Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter reporting for duty," she said to her.

"Dr. Elizabeth Weir," Weir said with a broad smile, "but Elizabeth will be fine. It's a pleasure to meet you, Samantha."

"Likewise," Sam said, also smiling, "and likewise, Sam will be fine."

Weir nodded.

Sam turned around and proceeded to introduce herself to the team members with whom she didn't know, which included everyone other than McKay, who had assisted her at Stargate Command once. The two of them had a very complicated friendship, if it could reasonably be referred to as such, and McKay had had his eyes set on her ever since they met.

"All right," Sheppard said, his eyes focused on Sam, "let's do this."

Once again, the stargate activated and opened, only this time, no one was taken aback. The UAV was sent through first, then the puddle jumper, and finally, the team proceeded through the event horizon.

On the other side, most of them were awed by the simplistic beauty of Celestia's scenery as they began walking, the seductive tranquility that it seemed to offer inhabitants and visitors.

"I see why this was where you wanted to take Cadman, Carson," Sheppard said to Carson.

"I had thought that it would be safe," he replied with utter sadness in his voice, frowning.

"I can definitely see the appeal," Porter added. "It's almost impossible to believe that the Wraith were here not too long ago, causing so much destruction."

"Believe it," Ronon said grudgingly.

McKay, a little ways behind Sam, quickly caught up to her position. "You know, Sam," he said nervously, "once this whole ordeal is settled, you and I should come here and -"

"Save it, Rodney," Sam said, not even looking at him.

McKay's shoulders slumped. "Right," he said dejectedly.

John scowled at him, and at that moment, he considered secretly handing the citrus chapstick over to Sam but thought better of it.

"You know, Rodney," Carson chimed in, his eyes full of pain and anger as he looked at McKay directly in his own, "you're a real piece of work. Laura is missing and is very likely in a heap of danger, and all you can concentrate on is harassing this fine lass."

"Sam and I have history," Rodney explained.

Sam scoffed, her smile one of utter mockery. "In your dreams."

"Besides," Rodney said, ignoring her, "Laura is a very strong woman, Carson. I have complete confidence that she is fine."

"Doesn't matter how strong she is," Ronon said coldly to no one in particular. "The Wraith don't recognize strength and weakness. They just feed."

John's eyes glowered at Ronon. "That is not helpful, Ronon."

Ronon did not say anything and made no indication that he felt apologetic, and anyone who knew Ronon would know that he probably didn't.

"Anyway," John continued, changing the subject in an effort to ease the tension a bit, "I'd imagine that Lieutenant Colonel Carter is not available."

Vega and Mehra rolled their eyes at one another.

Much to John's surprise, Sam did answer. "There _is_ someone," she replied a bit sadly. "I care about him a great deal, and he knows, but he is a very complicated man."

"That's when they're most interesting," Vega said jokingly.

"I'm glad to see that everyone is taking this so lightly," Carson said in disbelief.

"I happen to agree with Rodney," Sheppard said, trying to alleviate Carson's feelings a bit, his casual, laid-back demeanor intact even now. "I'm thinking that Lieutenant Cadman is just fine."

"There's no way that anyone could possibly know that," Carson replied.

The group stayed silent for a few minutes as they headed toward where Carson and Cadman had attempted to have a romantic date. Along the way, they started to see more evidence of the destruction that the Wraith had caused, some bodies that had been left behind, trees and vegetation destroyed.

"In some ways," Sam said sullenly, "these guys are even worse than the Goa'uld."

"Where do we even begin to look?" McKay asked impatiently. "She's obviously not here on the planet still. We have no idea where to even begin looking, and a puddle jumper isn't going to get us very far."

"If I don't know any better, Rodney," Carson interjected angrily, "I'd think that you don't want us to find Laura. Luckily, I _do_ know better."

Just then, a single Wraith dart appeared, and it was almost like it had come out of nowhere. Just as quickly, a beam extending to the ground appeared, and a male Wraith stood before them.

Ronon attempted to fire a shot at him, but the Wraith was faster, and Ronon fell backward with swift, powerful speed. Carson immediately ran toward him, and after a brief examination, he said, "Just like Teyla."

"We do make technological advances, too," the Wraith said smugly. "I would strongly advise against taking any further action. Your lieutenant is safe at the moment, but her prolonged safety is wholly dependent upon my safe return, I assure you."

They all lowered their weapons, and John spoke first. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"Just to talk."

Still crouched over Ronon, Carson called, "Why did you take Laura? Why not me? What do you want with her?"

"We would have gladly taken you, too, but you're male," he replied. "You don't really suit our needs."

"And just what _are_ your needs?" Carson yelled. "If you touch her -"

"Our motives will become clear soon enough," the Wraith replied. "Tomorrow, to be precise. Be here tomorrow morning, and your lieutenant will be returned to you. Oh, and there is one other small matter that needs to be taken care of."

At that moment, a small cluster of Darts paraded through the meadowy area, and in an instant, Porter, Vega, and Mehra were swept up in a culling beam, just like Cadman had been. They rounded back for Sam, but she leapt out of the way, running as fast as she could and taking cover in the nearby forrest.

"Ah, no matter," the Wraith said lightly, as if he had just made a sales pitch that had been rejected. "I think that we have as many as we need for the time being."

"Need for what?" Carson repeated, his face red with rage.

"As I said," the Wraith repeated, "that will be clear tomorrow. Lieutenant Cadman and the remainder of your women will be a... demonstration."

With that, he and the Darts were gone, with Carson still over Ronon, his face beet red and his eyes gushing tears.


	8. Chapter 8

Cadman stood in her cell, peering through the vine-like substance, having stood there for hours as absolutely nothing happened. Finally, though, the same Wraith to whom she spoke earlier came to her cell and sneered at her.

"What?" she demanded.

"I just spoke with your friends," he replied, a vile smile on his face, "and, I even befriended a few, as well."

"What are you talking about?" she retorted. She feigned fearlessness, but she was afraid, only now, she was more afraid for them. What did he mean, befriended them? The Wraith looked to his left, to a distance that she couldn't see from where she was, and nodded, and within fifteen to twenty minutes, three Wraith guards appeared in the hallway in front of her cell, and each was holding a young woman. She recognized all three of them. She had met them a couple of times before, but she couldn't recall their names. They must have been called in to assist with her rescue. She was grateful to them. They had risked their lives for her when they had barely known her. She would never be able to live with herself if something happened to them. Of course, she wasn't sure if she _was_ going to live.

"Do not touch them," she replied.

"They are not in any more danger than you are," the Wraith said. "Do not worry about them."

"You are evil scum," she said. "Do you hear me? Scum."

"Don't be afraid," one of the women said to her as the Wraith guards started dragging them away, her voice increasing in volume as the distance between them grew greater. "They're letting you go tomorrow, so I don't think they have any intention of killing you."

She had short brown hair that fell to just above her shoulders, and she knew that she had met her before, but she couldn't put a name to her face.

"I really am so glad that we stumbled across Dr. Porter," the Wraith said, almost as if he had read her thoughts. "I have a strong feeling that she will be a very strong candidate for the experiments."

Of course. Dr. Alison Porter. She remembered her now. She was a part of Major Anne Teldy's team along with the other two women that had been with her, Alicia Vega and Dusty Mehra.

"What experiments?" she shouted. "I want to know what you crazy freaks are going to do to us, damn it!"

"All in good time," he replied, and he then walked away from her, headed to his left. She continued to shout at him, yelling profanities and telling him that Carson would kill him as soon as he had the chance, but the Wraith walked forward and pretended not to hear. After a minute or so, she gave up and slumped to the floor of her cell.


	9. Chapter 9

"Now what?" McKay said, his arms thrown up in exasperation.

Much to everyone's surprise, especially McKay's, Carson suddenly sprung up from his position over Ronon and approached McKay, fury pronouncing every step. He then proceeded to shove McKay hard enough to send him flying backwards. Sam, now sure that she was safe, rushed to the scene.

McKay, on his back, looked at Carson with shock and horror in his eyes. "You... you pushed me!" he said.

"Aye, that's right," Carson replied, his right index finger jabbing McKay's direction. "I did, Rodney, and I'm gonna do a lot worse than that if ya don't start keeping your negative thoughts to yourself."

McKay, getting to his feet, argued, "But I didn't even say anything. What is happening to you, Carson? We're friends."

"What's bothering me is that the only woman I've ever felt like this for is out there being tortured by those bloody monsters," Carson cried, flustered, "and there's not a damned thing I can do about it, and your negativity is _not_ helping a damned bit, Rodney!"

"Okay, okay," John intervened, "I think that we all need to calm down and focus on what our game plan is."

"That's all _I _said!" McKay pleaded.

"I think that it would be a good idea to head back," Sam offered. "We should inform Major Teldy and Dr. Weir of the situation, head back here tomorrow morning."

"Absolutely not," Carson disagreed. "I'm staying right here."

Sam scowled. "Doctor," she reasoned, "he's not going to bring them back here until tomorrow, and we'd be wasting our time. Besides, your friend needs medical attention."

She was referring to Ronon, who still lay unconscious. Carson looked back at Ronon and then turned back to Sam. "I can take care of him," he tried to argue.

"No," John said, saying his piece, "Lieutenant Colonel Carter is right. You don't have the medical equipment here that you do back at Atlantis, Carson. Ronon would be better off there."

"Dr. Keller will have to tend to him, then," Carson said stubbornly, "because I am staying here."

Sam pursed her lips. "Dr. Beckett," she reasoned, "you seem like a good man, and you seem like a good doctor. I know you probably think that none of us understand how you feel, but I, for one, do. I've lost people, good, close friends, and I know how that feels."

"Laura is not dead!" Carson shouted. "Neither are the three fine lasses that that monster just took, and someone is going to be here when they come back, goddamn it! I failed Laura. She was sitting right next to me, and they took her. I will not fail her again."

There was a long pause as John and Sam digested what Carson had said. McKay was at a loss for words, which, for him, was unusual, but he still couldn't get past the fact that his best friend had just shoved him.

Finally, John broke the silence. "We have to let Elizabeth and Major Teldy in on what just happened, Carson," he decided, which garnered a nod from Sam. "I'm sorry. After we do that, we'll head right back and stay the night here if Elizabeth gives us the okay."

Carson shook his head, and it became clear to John that he wasn't going to budge. "I'm not leaving, Colonel," he repeated. "The three of you take Ronon back. Dr. Keller is an excellent doctor and is more than capable of tending to him."

John sighed. "Fine," he gave in, "here's the deal. Lieutenant Colonel Carter and I will head back to Atlantis. McKay, you stay here with Carson. Once we've filled Elizabeth and Major Teldy in, we'll head back here and set up camp for the night."

Carson nodded, but McKay's eyes lit up with confusion. "Oh, come on. Why do I have to stay here?" he wined. "You saw what he just did to me."

"McKay," John warned sternly, "not now. Stay here with him. We'll be back."

John began to head to the stargate, and after patting Carson on the shoulder and affording McKay a curt half-smile, Sam followed closely behind.


	10. Chapter 10

Weir's eyes lit up in surprise as she heard Zelenka call that the stargate was being activated.

"They're back_ already_?" she said to no one in particular, more to herself than to Colonel Teldy, who was in her office with her. She immediately headed downstairs to the stargate, Teldy following closely behind, and soon saw John and Lieutenant Colonel Carter walk through the stargate. John, as usual, looked like a very serious soldier with a mission to accomplish; she couldn't help but admire his sense of honor, even if he was a little overconfident sometimes.

"What's going on?" Weir inquired. "Where are Rodney and Carson?"

"Where is my team?" Teldy pressed, too.

"The Wraith got them," John answered Teldy first. "There was nothing that we could have done, and he was gone before we knew it, but we _will_ get them back, Colonel. I promise you that."

"_What?_" Weir gasped, incredulous. "Where are Rodney and Carson? Don't tell me that they took them, too."

"We have reason to believe that they're only interested in women," Sam said, her eyes dashing toward John and then back to Weir. "He, uh, tried to take me, too, and he said something about conducting an experiment."

"As for Rodney and Carson," John explained calmly, "Carson refused to leave, and I couldn't leave him alone, not even if for a few minutes. He's not in the best state of mind."

"Did you ever think of issuing an order, _Colonel_?" Weir asked, furious.

"Even if I had, he wouldn't have listened," John countered through gritted teeth, which he tended to do when annoyed or angry. "The man is scared, and he's angry, and he's not thinking logically. I insisted that he come back, but he wouldn't listen. That's why I left Rodney with him. Besides, he's not my officer; he's a doctor. I can't technically do anything about it."

"Well, you can't just leave them there," Weir replied angrily. "You're going to have to go back!"

"That is the plan, Dr. Weir," Sam said. "The Wraith said to meet him at the same location tomorrow and that he will have all of our missing personnel. We only returned to apprise you and Colonel Teldy of the situation. We are going back and are staying the night on Celestia until we secure the prisoners tomorrow."

"No," Weir protested, "_you_ are not going anywhere, Lieutenant Colonel Carter. If you're right about their being interested in women, then, I can't allow you to put yourself at that kind of risk. For all we know, this is a lure, a trap. The Wraith are nothing if not methodical."

Sam pursed her lips.

"With all due respect, Dr. Weir," she said in a very respectful but slightly irritated tone, "it is my decision to make. You may be the leader of the Atlantis expedition, but I am not a member of the Atlantis expedition. I was sent here by Stargate Command to fulfill my duty, and that's what I plan to do."

Weir frowned.

"I suppose that there's nothing I could say to change your mind?" Weir tried.

"No, Dr. Weir," Sam said flatly, "there's not."

Slowly, Weir sighed and nodded her head.

"In that case," she said, "gather supplies, and be I'll see you off."

Sometimes, she felt like crying when her team was in so much danger. She thought of them as her family, a family which she had sworn to protect.


	11. Chapter 11

"Where are they?" McKay complained. "They've been gone almost an hour."

He and Carson were sitting inside the puddle jumper, waiting for the figures of Colonel Sheppard and Lieutenant Colonel Carter to approach. Carson was sitting in the front while Rodney sat in the back.

"I don't know, Rodney," Carson said. "Just settle down."

"Settle down?" McKay said in disbelief. "Settle down? Did you seriously just tell me to settle down or is this experience making me hallucinate? Because if you did, then, I will have you know, my good friend, Carson, that we are out in the open with nothing to protect us from the Wraith if they decide to surprise us, and your _girlfriend_ as well as Porter, Vega, and Mehra are with them right now. Are you thinking about that, Carson? Are you? Because it would seem -"

"Of _course_ I am thinking about that, Rodney!" Carson spat, turning around to face him. "Why else do you think I am here? You know, you have not proven to be the least bit useful here. All you do is bring everybody's mood down."

"You can't possibly mean that," McKay said, his eyes squinting in pain.

"Aye, Rodney, I do," Carson quickly replied, turning back to the front window of the puddle jumper.

"Well," McKay replied, "it's not my fault that there hasn't been ample opportunity to put my advanced skills and knowledge to use here, but -"

"And there ya go with that intolerable arrogance, Rodney," Carson argued. "Has it ever occurred to ya that ya only alienate yourself? Bright people will be recognized for their talents without their constantly reminding people."

McKay, much to Carson's surprise, said nothing.

"And what _is_ your problem with Laura, Rodney?" Carson continued.

Slowly and timidly, Rodney replied, "You know what my problem with her is."

Carson fervently shook his head. "No," he replied. "no, I'm afraid that I don't, Rodney. Let me ask you a question. Is it me or her that you're jealous of?"

Suddenly, Rodney snapped fully alert, his eyes wide.

"Jealous?" Rodney retorted, stumbling over his words. "You can't possibly be serious. Carson, I don't feel that way about her, and I certainly don't feel that way about you. You're my friend, and I care about you. I just know how controlling and manipulative Cadman can be, and I don't want to see you hurt."

"Aye, well, why don't ya let me worry about that?" Carson said with a sigh, but he couldn't deny to himself that he was a bit flattered.

Just then, Carson spotted Colonel Sheppard and Lieutenant Colonel Carter approaching on the horizon. "They're coming," he commented.

"Finally," McKay said, which resulted in Rodney scowling.

Carson and McKay proceeded to exit the puddle jumper, and when Colonel Sheppard and Lieutenant Colonel Carter arrived at their location, each with a small duffel bag of supplies, McKay asked, "So, what's the plan?"

"The same one we talked about before we left, Rodney," John said impatiently. "Nothing has changed, except it would be a good idea to take the puddle jumper to the caves where Ronon and Teyla stayed. Being out in the open like this is no good."

"I concur," McKay agreed. "No good for my solar sensitivity, either."

"Seriously?" Sam scoffed. "It's almost nightfall, Rodney. Are you capable of ever thinking of anyone but yourself?"

"Aye," Carson replied before McKay could, "he is, but he sometimes has a funny way of showing it."

Carson scowled at Rodney, and the four of them proceeded to get into the puddle jumper and head toward the caves.


	12. Chapter 12

Cadman sat in her cell and waited for hours, unsure of what she was waiting for. Every hour felt like days, and she began to wonder just how long it had actually been. She was terrified, and she had spent quite a bit of time curled up in the corner with her head in between her knees, crying. She tried not to. She didn't want them to see her vulnerability, but she couldn't help it. She knew that there was a very strong possibility that she was going to die, and she didn't want to die. She wanted the chance to answer Carson, and if she died now, she'd never have that chance. He would never know how deeply she loved and cared about him and that it had been her intention to say yes.

"Yes," she whispered to herself, "yes, Carson, I'll marry you."

This only led to more tears, and she couldn't help but feel surprised. After all, it wasn't like her to cry. She recalled a memory, a memory that now seemed so distant yet so near at the same time, a contradiction that would only make sense to a person experiencing utter despair.

The memory was of a spring day, 1988. Her track coach, Donna Whitman, was someone whom up until that day, Cadman had greatly admired. Donna was a fit woman, muscular, and she was so free, so independent. She wasn't married, even though she was beautiful, but Cadman had known why that was. Donna had been seeing a young woman close to her age, a red-haired Math teacher named Rebecca Sadler. After school, Donna had pulled Cadman into her office after Cadman had ran for an hour on the track. She sat at her desk and invited Cadman to pull up a seat across from her.

"No, thanks," Cadman politely refused. "I can't stay long. I really need to shower and get home. I start babysitting at 5."

"Ah, that's right," Donna said, nodding, "it's Thursday."

Cadman nodded and grinned a small smile.

"You're tough," Donna said. She was known for her directness. "There's no doubt about that. I've seen you do things in the gym and out on that track that I've never seen a man do. Tell me, Cadman, what do you want to do with your life?"

Cadman was a little taken aback by the question. She cleared her throat and answered. "Well," she replied, "my father would really like me to go into law. He has already taken me to a few law schools, all of them really nice, really beautiful."

Donna smiled so broadly that it had reminded Cadman of the Cheshire Cat from _Alice in Wonderland_.

"Your father sounds like a wonderful man," Donna said.

"Oh, he is," Cadman agreed, "but I haven't had the heart to tell him that I don't share his dreams."

"Oh?" Donna said, surprised. She sat up from her desk and walked toward Cadman.

"I'd like to be a Marine, serve my country, Ms. Whitman," she replied, her eyes on Donna's.

"Cadman," she said, briefly changing the subject, "you've been on this track team for two years now. Call me Donna."

Cadman didn't respond.

"Look," Donna said, "you have a real talent. I've never seen anything like it before, and I've been running for fifteen years, but I've also seen your grades, Cadman, and I know how bright you are, so I'm going to give you some advice, kiddo. You take that silly dream of yours, and you crush it. Listen to that daddy of yours and become a lawyer."

Cadman stared at her, tempted to believe that she wasn't hearing her correctly.

"This road you're on now," Donna continued, "is going to crush you. You're going to find yourself in a world dominated by men who won't honor you, won't respect you. You'll never be able to prove yourself to them, no matter what you do."

"But Ms. Whitman - "

"Crush it, kid," she repeated. "You hear me?"

There was a long pause.

"I have to get home," Cadman said. "I'll see you tomorrow, _Donna_."

She stormed out of the office, and from that day forward, she never again called her Ms. Whitman, and after she graduated from high school, she never saw or heard from Donna ever again. It was that day that she had learned not to pin heroes up too high, for when they fell, the impact was that much deeper, and that day, she had felt like a boulder had fallen from a mile high and killed her.

She didn't give up, though, no more than she had quit the track team after that day. Donna's unwarranted cruelty had only further motivated her to follow her dreams, and she did. Her father wasn't initially happy with her decision, but it wasn't long before he had grown very proud of her, and to that day, she had had a very good relationship with both of her parents. At only eighteen years old, after graduating from high school, she joined the USMC and served during the Gulf War. She then became an expert in explosives and then joined the Secret Service before joining the Atlantis Expedition at the request of Elizabeth Weir. She would never say that she didn't encounter any adversity, for she did. There was the occasional man who thought that she had no business serving her country as a woman, but this was an exception, not a regularity, and nothing was ever as bad as Donna had said that it would be. Donna was just a false hero, someone to whom she had looked up but that hadn't had faith in her, someone that had let her down.

Her reverie was interrupted by the sound of Wraith guards outside her cell, and she realized that it was time for whatever it was that they had planned for her. She would not show fear; she would not show weakness, and she thought about that as she stood.

"Do what you want with me," she said to the male Wraith who had captured her, the same one to whom she had spoken earlier, as he appeared behind the guards. "I don't care, but you will not break me."

She said the latter part as if each word was a sentence of its own, punctuating each word through gritted teeth.

"We shall see," he said with a broad, vile smile.

The guards carried her down two corridors, the first off to the left of her cell and the other off to the left of the first. Finally, they opened a door and threw her inside as if she were a doll incapable of being injured. The room was rather dark, as was the entire Hive ship, and it was somewhat large. At the center of the room stood a chair that reminded Cadman eerily of a dentist chair. On either side of the chair were supplies which Cadman wasn't able to identify, mostly syringes and vials of unidentifiable liquid of different colors. Over the chair was a blue light, which was the only source of light in the room.

_Torture_, she realized. _They plan to torture me._ But to what end? What did they want to know? Couldn't they have asked nicely first, and why had they abducted Teldy's team, too? She had so many questions, but she didn't ask a single one.

The male Wraith had followed behind her, and he closed the door to the room behind him, leaving the guards outside.

"I can only imagine that you have many questions racing through your mind," he said.

She said nothing. She simply sent messages of repulsion and disgust to him via the expression in her eyes.

"You've waited very patiently," he said, sneering. "I do have to give you all due credit for that. You see, lieutenant, patience is quite rewarding because now, your questions will finally be answered."

From a dark corner of the room that Cadman couldn't see from her position, a masculine figure emerged from the shadows, and once he was in the light, Cadman instantly recognized him.

"You," she muttered.

"Yes, lieutenant," Michael said, "me."

Cadman marveled at how she hadn't already known. Michael was the Wraith whom they had turned into a human, stripping him of Wraith DNA and resetting his memory, giving him a new identity. When he discovered the truth, he became enraged and with vengeful motives, sought out opportunities to conduct scientific experiments of his own. He still was not fully Wraith; his hair, instead of long and white, was short and black, and his complexion was not fully the pale green that most male Wraiths' usually was.

"What are you going to do?" Cadman asked. She couldn't conceal questions any longer, not now.

Michael didn't directly answer her, though, not that that was a surprise to Cadman. "Tell me, lieutenant," Michael asked with a mocking tone, not actually expecting an answer, Cadman knew, "have you ever given any thought to having children?"

Even if she had any intention of answering him, she didn't have the opportunity, for the last thing that she saw before falling to the floor and blacking out was the other Wraith grinning maniacally.


	13. Chapter 13

By the time night had fallen upon Celestia, the small team of John, Sam, Carson, and Rodney had already set up camp in the caves, and none of them, not even Rodney, could complain about the weather. The air was thin, clean, and at the perfect temperature, probably around 70 degrees Farenheit, and there was not a sound except the lulling call of creatures that the team had guessed closely resembled Earth's crickets. Rodney and Carson had set up camp in the puddle jumper, as John had guessed that the two of them could use the time to sort their problems out, and John and Sam had set up camp in the caves. With the supplies that they had brought, sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets, they were moderately comfortable. A couple of feet in front of them burned a brilliant fire that they had lit after gathering wood from the forest.

They had not laid down for the night yet, though, and instead were sitting up against a wall of the cave, Sam drinking from a bottle of water as the two of them carried a conversation.

"Are there no civilizations here?" Sam asked.

John nodded. "It's about a quarter the size of Earth," he explained. "Most of it stays pretty much like this, weather-wise, and there are villages, just not in this area. I guess that that's why Carson and Cadman picked it."

"It _is _really beautiful," Sam agreed, nodding her head slowly with a smile.

There was a brief silence, which Sam broke. "So, those two," she said, "her head gesturing toward the puddle jumper to their right, "they're best friends?"

John grinned, realizing that she had intended to be funny. "Actually," John replied, "you could say that. They spend time together, eat together a lot. Carson's usually a really nice guy, a lot more tolerant of McKay."

"This is understandable," Sam concluded.

"Yeah," John agreed. "Once we get this sorted out, get our people back home, they'll be all right again."

"I haven't heard any arguing," Sam offered.

"This is true," John said, as he just then realized. In fact, they had apparently both fallen asleep shortly after they hit the caves and set up camp inside of the puddle jumper. "That is great. If anyone deserves the rest, he does. Poor guy must be exhausted."

"So, how do you like it?" Sam asked.

John looked at her, confused. "Sorry?"

"The Atlantis expedition," she clarified. "How do you like it?"

"Oh, it's great," John replied quickly. "Yeah, great people, great leader. The city is beautiful."

"Dr. Weir does seem like a really great leader," Sam replied, looking at John with a smile, "and she's really lucky to have such a great guy in charge of her team."

John looked directly at her, his eyes on fire as he debated. He wondered if she was trying to send him signals to make a move, wondered if she was feeling the same as he was, if that was how he was supposed to interpret her compliment, her lit up eyes as she said it. He decided, at the risk of turning her off the way that McKay obviously did, to make his move. He leaned in closer to her and moved his mouth toward hers, waiting to see if she would pull away from him or turn her head, but she didn't, and he kissed her. It was soft, gentle, and brief, and he examined her semblance carefully, looking for some sign that he had been inappropriate.

As far as rules and regulation were concerned, he knew that he had. They were on a mission to retrieve Laura and the others when the Wraith dropped them off the following day, and they were two officers of Stargate Command, and practically speaking, they didn't know each other that well. However, to John, it had felt like the right thing to do. He couldn't explain it; he felt a charge around her that he had rarely felt around anyone throughout his life. There was only one other person that he felt this way around, but he couldn't think about her now. All he could focus on were Lieutenant Colonel Carter's eyes, blue and full of an intensity that he couldn't quite place.

"I'm sorry; I don't know why I did that," he lied. He was still less than inch away from her, though, his eyes still fixed on hers.

"No," she replied softly, "no, it's okay."

He kissed her again, more passionately and for a much longer time this time, and after about twenty seconds or so, Sam finally pulled away.

"What?"John asked.

"Nothing," Sam replied gently. "Let's just not do this tonight, okay? Let's get home first and see what happens."

"Home?" John pressed. "You're going back to Earth, aren't you?"

He had already known that. His tone implied that he was reaffirming it, not that he had just realized it.

She looked away. "Yes."

"Well," John continued, "I know from what just happened that you're feeling the same way I am, and we may not get this chance again."

Sam shook her head. "I'm sorry, John," she insisted. "I just don't want to do anything now that I'll regret."

"It's him, isn't it?" John asked, a bit angrily.

"Who?" she said, exasperated. "_Rodney_?"

"No!" John scoffed. "Your man back home."

Now, it was evident that she _was_ turned off. She scooted away from him and said, "You hardly even know me. You're just as bad as McKay."

That hit him below the belt, and in frustration, he grunted and said, "Well, if _that's_ how you feel, fine. Forget it."

"Look," she said with finality, "I just want to get through the night so that we can get our people home, okay?"

"You're right," he conceded. "I'm sorry."

The two of them sat in awkward silence for a long time, probably ten or fifteen minutes. Finally, John broke, unable to bear the silence any longer. "You hungry?" he asked.

She looked at him, smiling. "I don't suppose we packed any grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches?"

"Afraid not," he said with a brief chuckle.

"I didn't think so," she said, chuckling briefly, as well, "but I'll take what we have."

They each ate a granola bar, and then, shortly after, John said, "You should get an hour or two of sleep," he said. "I'll keep watch for now. We can take turns."

She hesitated, giving it some serious thought, and then finally, after ten seconds or so, she nodded. As the hours passed, they each slept for a couple of hours at a time, taking turns keeping watch in case anything happened, which nothing did. The Wraith had either figured that they hadn't stayed the night on Celestia, or he had figured that keeping to his projected schedule was more important than a surprise visit. It wasn't until the following afternoon that he arrived. The Wraith dart flew swiftly through the area where Carson and Cadman had attempted to have their picnic, stopping as the Wraith and two guards beamed down, the Wraith carrying Cadman and Porter, one guard carrying Vega and Mehra, the other guard carrying an unidentified male figure. They dumped all of them to the ground, all of them seemingly unconscious, and no one could have stopped Carson if he or she had tried; he immediately rushed over to Cadman and held her in his arms, tears streaking his face.

"Oh, Laura," he cried, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I let this happen to you."

His attention then snapped to the Wraith. "What have you done to her?" he shouted.

"She's very much alive, doctor," the Wraith replied, seemingly amused. "They all are, except for _him_." His hand gestured toward the male figure.

John and Sam walked over to the male figure, McKay standing aside, confused. They both crouched down and examined the figure closely. "Who is that?" Sam asked.

"It can't be," John said, shock and horror clear from both his tone and the expression on his face. "This isn't possible. He's back at Atlantis. I saw him yesterday."

He couldn't tell who it was from the figure's face. He had been fed upon, so he was much too old in appearance to identify, but he recognized the disheveled hairstyle, the pastel blue clothing.

"As you would have eventually come to realize, anyway, Colonel," the Wraith said mockingly, "the man back on Atlantis whom you refer to as Radek Zelenka is _not _Radek Zelenka."

"What?" John said, standing up, horrorstruck. "How is that possible? What did you do?"

"You and Dr. Weir both continue to make the same grave error, Colonel," he sneered. "You underestimate our resolve and therefore our resources. It is quite insulting, really."

"You're not getting out of here," John said, determination setting his eyes on fire as he reached for his sidearm.

"Until we meet again," the Wraith said, grinning, and just as John fired a shot, he was gone, the beam from his sidearm just missing by a matter of a second.

"Next time," he said to himself, "expect a damn arsenal."


	14. Chapter 14

"Get Dr. Keller immediately!" Carson called to Weir as he emerged from the puddle jumper, which had just went through the stargate. He carried Lieutenant Cadman in his arms. "All of these women are exhibiting the same symptoms as Teyla and Ronon and need medical attention immediately."

Weir nodded and gestured to someone to call Dr. Keller. Carson ran for the infirmary, and John, Sam, and McKay followed closely behind. John, carrying Vega, looked like an infuriated mountain lion, Sam, carrying Porter, like a dedicated, determined soldier, which she was, and McKay, limply carring Mehra, still looking dumbstruck and confused. He hadn't said anything since the women had been returned to them, and that was very unusual for him.

"Elizabeth," John said to Weir, "where is Zelenka?"

Weir scrunched her eyes together in confusion. "He's in Operations, where he usually is. Why?"

"He has to be apprehended," John said before Weir even finished. "He's not Zelenka."

"John," Weir said, her mouth open in disbelief, "what are you talking about? Of course he's Zelenka."

"No," John growled, "he's not. Zelenka has been fed upon. His body is in that puddle jumper, and I'll bet that Carson and Keller can test the DNA to prove it. Whoever is up there pretending to be Zelenka has been working with the Wraith. That's how they knew Cadman would be on Celestia. He has been supplying them with information."

Weir said nothing. Her eyes were impossibly wide with horror, and her mouth remained gaped.

"If I may," Sam said as she, John, and McKay handed the three women to medical personnel, "this should be handled as quietly as possible, Dr. Weir. We don't know what he is and what he's capable of. He could potentially be very dangerous, and for all we know, he has it within his power to destroy Atlantis if and when he's compromised. We shouldn't arouse any suspicion until we can apprehend him quietly."

After a long pause, Weir sighed. "Agreed," she said. "Don't let him see that body." She turned around, but before she could turn around to apprise Colonel Teldy, John protested.

"With all due respect, Elizabeth, I _don't_ agree," he said. "We can't just wait until it's convenient for us to stop him. We have no idea what kind of damage he'll do. We don't know what he's done yet."

"That Wraith gave him up," Sam reasoned. "They don't seem to have any further use for him."

"Right," John countered, "and it's only a matter of time before he realizes that, and when he does, like you said, we could have a major problem on our hands."

Weir thought for a minute.

"You both present valid points," she finalized, "but John, we can't afford to give him a window. We have to avoid arousing any suspicion until we're in a situation that will allow us to apprehend him."

John shook his head and leaned in close to Weir. "Elizabeth," he counter-argued, "think about this. McKay is around Zelenka the most. Do you really trust McKay not to say anything to him?"

"Hey," McKay protested, "you may think you're whispering, but I heard that!"

Before Weir had a chance to put her foot down one last time, though, John saw Zelenka, or whoever he really was, walking down the stairs about ten feet behind Weir, and he could tell from the look on his face that there would be no further need to continue this debate; he, or it, knew. It pulled out a device from its pants pocket and held it to the side so that it was clearly visible for all to see, ready to drop the device to the floor.

"No!" John screamed. He yanked his sidearm out of its holster and shot whatever it was three, four, five times in the chest, before it had time to drop the device. McKay's eyes widened in horror, and he ran for the device as Zelenka's doppelganger fell to the stairs and the device fell out of his hand, threatening to hit the floor off to the left of the stairway. John, Weir, and Sam all found themselves surprised by his reflexes as he successfully caught the device in his hands before it hit the floor.

"I didn't want to take the chance that it would explode on impact," McKay called, relieved.

John smiled, nodding. "You did good, Rodney."

McKay grinned. "I wasn't sure if I was going to make it, but -"

He was interrupted as the device beeped rapidly for two seconds before it exploded, incinerating him as well as everyone within a five feet radius of him, throwing Weir, John and Sam violently backward.


	15. Chapter 15

Weir sat at the head of the conference table and was joined by John, Sam, Teldy and her team, and McKay's sister, Jeannie. The air in the room was heavy with sadness, as had been the City for the past week. McKay had been arrogant, self-important, and often incredibly rude and abrasive, but there were many people on the station who couldn't deny the fact that they had lost a good friend, a comrade who had ultimately risked and given his life for the protection of those with whom he served. Within the past week, they had discovered that Zelenka's double had been a Shapeshifter engineered by the Wraith, designed to take on the form of the person that it killed. It was a perfect design, able to hold that shape as long as it needed to.

At the conference table, Jeannie sat with her head lung low, tears wetting her face rapidly.

"Why did this have to happen to him?" she cried. "Meredith would never hurt anyone. Sure, he could be an ass sometimes, but he didn't deserve this."

"Jeannie," Weir said, looking at her with soft, warm eyes that began to tear up, too, "your brother was a good man, and he died a hero. I wish that you could have seen how brave he was."

"This is a big loss to us, as well," John added, reaching his hand across the table to hold hers. "Many of us considered Rodney our friend, and he was the best at what he did. We're going to suffer a loss that can't be regained."

She nodded. "Thank you, but why? I don't understand what happened. If he stopped the bomb from making impact with the floor, why did it go off?"

John sighed. "I don't think that the shapeshifter intended to do much damage beyond his own suicide," he explained. "The device was designed to kill _him_. Rodney caught it in his hands, which was just enough to set it off. It was extremely sensitive."

They continued to discuss funeral arrangements for Zelenka and McKay, when suddenly, they were interrupted by Carson and Keller, who stormed into the room with so much intensity that Weir instantly became vehemently concerned.

"Doctors Beckett and Keller," she said, "what is the matter? Have any of them woken up yet?"

"No," Keller replied frantically, "the venom that entered their bloodstreams from the weapons that were used on them is keeping them under for the time being. We're sure that they'll eventually make a full recovery, but -"

She was interrupted by Carson, who was impatient to get their discovery out in the open.

"Elizabeth," he said, even more frantic than Keller, "we have a very serious problem."

"Spit it out!" John demanded.

Carson took a breath. "The women, save Teyla, are all pregnant."

"_What_?" everyone except Jeannie said in unison, including Teldy.

"It gets worse," Carson continued. He hesitated before speaking again. "The fetuses all have Wraith DNA. They are essentially carrying Wraith."

"You can't be serious," John said, bursting in disbelief.

"Aye," Carson replied, "I am."

"What are we going to do?" Weir cried.

"We don't have much choice, Dr. Weir," Keller replied. "We're going to have to abort them. There's no telling what kind of damage they could do to their bodies, and we can't take that risk while they're still in comatose states."

Weir nodded, sighing loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear. She then sunk her head down in her hands out of frustration.

"Why?" Sam said. "Surely, they knew that we would immediately abort them. Why did they do this?"

"As a test," John replied with no hesitation. "You heard what the Wraith said, that it was an experiment, and now that they know that it works, they're going to populate as much of the galaxy as they can."

"And who knows how many more Shapeshifters are out there," Sam said, the expression on her face hot with intense worry. "For all we know, there are more here."

"Well," Weir concluded, standing up from her chair, "it sounds to me like we have some work to do, people. We've lost two very good people, and we will have time to mourn their losses, but we have also got to do everything we can to stop this. Understood?"

Everyone voiced their agreements, standing up, as well. Weir left the conference room, comforting Jeannie who was at her side. John knew that she would take Jeannie to McKay's quarters, allow her to retrieve his belongings. Carson looked at John, frowned, and then left, too, along with Keller. Teldy then left, starting a conversation with the two doctors, no doubt concerned about the health of the members of her team. It was now only John and Sam in the room, and they exchanged awkward smiles as they stood across the table from each other.

"Listen," John said to her, his eyes nervously shifting between her and the table, "I just wanted to apologize about that night, the night before McKay..."

He trailed off, unable to say it.

"It's okay, Colonel," she said with a slight nod of her head.

"No, no, it's not. I was trying to take advantage of you. I don't know what got into me."

She came out from across the table and approached him. Much to his surprise, she leaned in and laid one on him, a soft, gentle one, like the first one that they shared on Celestia.

"Don't be sorry, John," she said softly. "You were right; I did feel something powerful, too, but there _is_ someone back home, someone I care about a great deal, and I can't give up on him."

John nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that." His eyes momentarily shifted outside the conference room to where Dr. Weir was standing with Jeannie, and Sam smiled.

"I figured as much," she said.

"I hope I see you again, Samantha Carter," John said as Sam approached the door. "I _do_ care about you."

"You'll be seeing quite a bit of me," Sam said, her smile broadening. "The SGC has asked me to stay for a while. I guess that they figure that some of my expertise will make up for McKay and Zelenka's absences."

John was completely taken aback. "Well, I wasn't expecting that. Really?"

Sam nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, welcome to Atlantis, then," he said.

She nodded again, much more briefly this time, and left John alone in the conference room.

"This ought to be interesting," he said to himself.


	16. Epilogue

Night was beginning to fall on Atlantis, and Carson was beginning to resupply his patients' IVs. He and Keller had decided that the following day, they would abort the Wraith fetuses, and he was giving this some serious thought, and his thoughts frequently shifted gears to Rodney. Rodney had, for all intents and purposes, been his best friend, and he couldn't stop thinking about some of the last things that he had said to him. His regretful thoughts were interrupted, though, when suddenly, Laura's eyes fluttered open. Overjoyed, he rushed to her bedside and kissed her on the forehead.

"Oh, Laura, thank God you are awake," he said. "I have been so worried, and I have missed you so much."

She tried to sit up, but he gently pushed her back down. "No," he said, "you should rest. Laura, there is a lot that we need to discuss."

"I'm pregnant with a Wraith child, I know," she said, nodding her head frantically. "I could, at times, hear, but Carson-"

"Laura, you need to calm down and rest," he insisted.

"Carson, damn it, listen to me!"

He was instantly silenced, and he nodded, surrendering, but she, in a way, had surrendered, too, as she had laid back down on her bed.

"It's Michael," she spat out. It seemed like she couldn't get the words out quickly enough.

"Michael?" Carson echoed.

"Yes," she affirmed, "he's behind this."

"Oh, the bloody bastard," he said, knocking himself for not having guessed. "I should have known this was his handiwork."

"That's exactly how I felt when I saw his ugly face," she agreed. "He's going to try to populate as many worlds with Wraith as he can while still having enough worlds for food."

Carson nodded grimly. "Aye, that's what we suspected."

She sighed as she moved her eyes from him to the ceiling.

"Well," Carson said conclusively, unsure if he had embarrassed himself at their attempted picnic on Celestia, "as I said, you really should get some rest, so I'll leave you be. I love you, Laura."

He was almost out the door when Laura stopped him. "Carson, wait," she said, her eyes now intently on him. There was a long pause, probably about ten seconds long, while he waited patiently.

"Yes," she finally got out.

"Yes?" he asked, genuinely confused. "Yes what?"

"Yes," she said, now with a smile bright enough to illuminate the room, "I will marry you."

Carson smiled just as brightly, if not brighter, and he didn't know what to say. Speechless, he quickly approached her bedside, and they kissed for an endless minute as he held her in his arms.

"I love you, Laura," he said, "and I will protect you for as long as I live."

"We can protect each other," she added.

"Aye," he said, kissing her forehead and heading toward the door. Despite the heaviness that sat on his mind due to Michael's plans and the recent loss of McKay, his best friend, and Zelenka, Laura Cadman, the only woman for whom he had ever felt this way, had just made him the happiest person in the universe.


End file.
